Welcome to the last of these four special editions of In The Spotlight. One of the real delights in reading books in competition for the Ngaio Marsh Awards is that many of them give the reader a very interesting look at life in modern New Zealand. Let’s focus on such a book today, and turn the spotlight on Jane Woodham’s Twister.

As the novel begins, a nasty ‘flu virus has been going the rounds of Dunedin, and taking its toll on everyone, including the police force. So, the local police are spread thin. Then, the weather turns against the city. Five days of rain soak things, followed by an unexpected twister. There’s considerable damage, and the already-decimated police force have even more on their hands. They’re hoping very much that things will calm down enough so that the city can be cleaned up and damage repaired. But…